White Bone Demon Trail

Chapter 7 Hibiscus White Face
As dark clouds gradually obscured the moonlight, four burly men carried two corpses on a steep slope in the mountains, complaining incessantly.

"What terrible luck have we had? These two are our young lambs, just waiting to be our winter food! But before the summer heat even arrives, they've contracted this cholera."

"Come on, it's a miracle you didn't get infected. Otherwise, we might have thrown you out along with them!"

"Stop talking nonsense, it's the middle of the night, hurry up and throw it back into the village! If the people from Black Stone Village find out, we'll be in big trouble!"

As they talked, they arrived at a stream that was only a few feet wide, and casually threw two corpses, which were tightly wrapped in white cloth, into the stream.

"call…"

A mountain breeze swept by, and the leaves of the low-lying grass on the ground rustled and rubbed against each other.

The men immediately became alert, and one of them said, "What if some wild animal has come here because of the smell? Let's go back quickly!"

The four of them muttered to themselves, then agreed and left.

"Woooooo~"

A cry suddenly rang out shortly after the group left. Inside the thinner of the two corpses wrapped in white cloth, something began to wriggle, and the shredded white cloth was torn to shreds by long, thin fingers.

The white cloth was easily torn into thin strips, just like paper, revealing wisps of blackness within.

A woman with extremely long black hair stood up slowly. Her head was lowered, and her long hair was covered with black bloodstains, but her white clothes were very clean.

"Woooooo~"

As the mountain wind began to rise, waves of yin energy gathered around him, and an eerie smile unconsciously appeared on the corner of his mouth peeking out from between his black hair.

Bai Wuxiang appeared silently, standing a few feet in front of the female ghost, looking at her with interest. In his heart, he was thinking that whether it was himself, the red-clothed fierce ghost in Black Stone Village, or the vengeful ghost in front of him, they had all appeared in the last few days.

When humanity prospers, the nation is prosperous and the people are at peace, and demons disappear.

Humanity has declined, the world is in chaos, and demons have emerged.

Ordinary demons only dare to appear and wreak havoc in the world at such times, so it seems that human demon hunters and demon catchers must be widespread in this world.

I need to be even more cautious in my future actions.

"Woooooo~"

The female ghost saw the figure in front of her, tears of blood streaming from her eyes, and lunged forward with a swift movement.

Bai Wuxiang was not alarmed by the sight. He simply raised his head slightly, and in an instant, his handsome face transformed into a skeletal skull with eerie blue flames burning in its empty eye sockets. He let out a fierce howl at the female ghost in front of him.

"Roar…"

"Ah~"

The female ghost was instantly terrified and retreated, letting out a series of ghostly howls.

Bai Wuxiang's terrifying expression vanished, and a slight twitch appeared at the corner of his mouth. He realized he had scared the little ghost girl to tears.

"Alright, you're a vengeful ghost born from the earth's yin energy, still harboring resentment. You still have memories of your past life, so stop pretending."

Upon hearing the monster's voice, the white-clad female ghost paused, then spoke in human language with resentment: "Living as a human, I was treated like an animal; even as a ghost, I am still oppressed! Is this world so cruel to a woman like me?"

"Do you want revenge? I can help you."

Bai Wuxiang stood in the pale moonlight, his handsome face even more plain than his white robes, his deep blue eyes holding a calm smile as he stared straight at her.

"You? Can you really help me get revenge?"

The white-clad female ghost regained her senses, and her remaining memories gradually restored her human mind. She immediately knelt down and said, "Please, young master, have mercy! Avenge this great grudge for me!"

Bai Wuxiang smiled and extended his right palm, his words seemingly bewitching, "To fulfill your wish, you must repay with resentment."

Do you dare?

Upon hearing this, the woman in white felt a surge of resentment welling up inside her, filling her mind. "This humble woman has absolutely no wish to refuse!"

After saying that, she stretched out her right hand and slowly touched Bai Wuxiang's fingertips. The moment their fingers touched, the white-clad female ghost's soul was forcibly absorbed and merged into Bai Wuxiang's body.

The surging resentment on the female ghost's body was also absorbed into the Resentful Spirit Pearl, and a small spell appeared on the pearl as it shimmered with mysterious light.

"The Soul-Losing Sound is a sound driven by resentment, which can cause living beings to lose their souls and become distraught. The weak will have their souls leave their bodies, while even the strong will be heartbroken."

Bai Wuxiang's lips curled up slightly. He knew that the resentment needed to collect the Resentment Spirit Pearls did not necessarily require killing people.

"The contract is now in effect. Let Wuxiang fulfill your wish."

He smiled and waved his robes, his body enveloped in a mysterious light that shifted unpredictably. In the blink of an eye, he changed his appearance, becoming a beautiful woman dressed in a green dress with her hair hanging down to her shoulders.

The white-clad female ghost hidden inside Bai Wuxiang's body exclaimed in surprise, "You... how come you look somewhat similar to me when I was young?"

Bai Wuxiang laughed and said, "Since you have offered your resentment to me, I know the joys and sorrows you have experienced. You have lost your resentment and your soul will soon dissipate. You should stay in my body and watch your blood feud be avenged before your eyes."

Having said that, he straightened his sleeves, strolled lightly, and disappeared into the woods without a trace.

……

On the mountain road more than ten miles outside Wulongzhai, the four burly men had walked so far in the middle of the night that they were quite tired, so they sat down to rest for a while.

One of the men, whose head was slightly glowing, spoke up: "Do you think that if we dump these cholera-infected corpses near Black Stone Village, they'll harm them?"

"Who knows? But I heard from the witch doctor that she cast a spell on this corpse and placed it by the water in Black Stone Village. Anyone who passes by and touches this corpse will be infected." A long-faced man continued with a smile, "I've been looking down on those plague-ridden bastards for a long time. If we can really get rid of this disease, that would be the best."

"Haha, that's true. But it's a pity about my fat sheep. That woman was quite pretty. Tsk tsk, I'm afraid I won't be able to find such a good catch next time." A fat man with a long face was still lamenting his fat sheep.

"Whoo~"

A gentle mountain breeze blew by, and the group felt drowsy and fell asleep without realizing it.

The long-faced man lay under a tree root, clutching the long sword at his waist. He had been sleeping for a long time when he was awakened by the urge to urinate. He opened his sleepy eyes and walked a dozen feet away to take off his clothes and relieve himself.

When he finished relieving himself and was about to leave, he suddenly caught a glimpse of a piece of blue cloth in a pile of grass. Judging from its appearance, it didn't look like coarse cloth.

Curiosity arose in his heart, but he remained vigilant. He carefully used his sword to pry open the pile of grass, and what he saw made his breathing become heavy.

But in the grass, a beautiful young girl with disheveled clothes was lying unconscious.

The girl's skin was as white as snow, her eyebrows delicate and her eyes bright red, her lips glistening with an alluring moisture. Especially striking was the glimpse of flesh revealed by the branches tearing open her clothes, making this man, who had been single for so long, utterly unable to resist. He threw his longsword aside and pounced on her, pressing himself against her soft, fragrant body.

Unexpectedly, this action suddenly woke the sleeping woman. Her panicked eyes revealed helplessness. She hugged herself, tears welling up in her eyes, and asked in a low, trembling voice, "Who are you? Don't touch me!"

"Haha, what a beautiful young lady." The long-faced man, seeing that she had woken up, not only did not back down, but became even more excited by the woman's resistance and wariness. "In this desolate wilderness, let your brother take good care of you."

"Waaaaah...no, help...help me...waaaaah..."

Before he could finish speaking, his mouth was covered by a rough hand, and he could only let out low sobs.

Not far away, the bald man, who was a light sleeper, was awakened by the alluring sound. After looking around, he followed the sound and saw two bodies, one black and one white, in the grass.

A slender, fair-skinned woman with alluring eyes, and a robust, dark-skinned man with fierce and powerful aura.

Seeing the scene before him, the bald man couldn't help but curse, "Damn it, enjoying a meal all to himself in this wilderness! Get out of the way, let me have some fun too!"

"Get lost! I caught him first!"

The good deed was interrupted, and the long-faced man angrily scolded him.

The bald man, whose mind and body were burning with desire, saw the girl beckoning him with her finger with a look of infatuation. His reason was suddenly suppressed by his wildness. Without saying a word, he drew the precious sword from his waist and stabbed it through the chest of the long-faced man. Blood flowed from the wound on his chest where the long sword had pierced his chest, falling on the girl, which only made her look more bewitching and alluring.

The bald man was so overwhelmed by the sight before him that he lost all reason and pounced on her frantically.

Not far away, the fat-faced man, awakened by the smell of blood, frowned and looked around. He realized that apart from his youngest companion, the other two were gone.

He couldn't help but want to wake his accomplice, but stopped himself when he heard a familiar panting sound in his ear.

"Why does that voice sound so familiar?"

Curious, he walked toward the source of the sound and saw two intertwined bodies and a naked corpse.

When the fat-faced man saw the woman, his eyes widened instantly, because the woman's face bore a resemblance to his dead fat sheep. However, the fat sheep had been tormented day and night, leaving him haggard and far less lively and beautiful than the girl before him.

His lust burned uncontrollably within him. Without uttering a sound, he picked up his broadsword and silently approached the two engrossed individuals behind him, raising the sharp blade high.

Perhaps sensing something, the bald man, engrossed in his work, inadvertently turned around and suddenly found a long knife falling heavily. He only had time to scream before his head fell to the ground.

The bloody head landed right in the woman's arms, making her terrified and wanting to run away, but the fat-faced man grabbed her and slapped her hard, cursing, "You beast, how dare you do such a thing with someone else?"

I'll show you what I'm capable of!

The woman's screams came from afar, waking the last man, a man just over twenty years old. He rushed to the sound after waking up, only to find a scene of corpses lying everywhere, the hideous face of the fat man, and the pitiful appearance of the beautiful and delicate woman.

"Uncle Dao! What are you doing? Why are Uncle Ma and Uncle Jiu both... What did you do?"

Startled by his shout, the fat-faced man snapped out of his daze and laughed, "You brat, this is none of your business! Get out of here and don't disturb your grandpa's fun!"

The woman's face was streaked with tears, her eyes filled with terror. Her neck was being held captive, and she struggled to extend her hands to him, her lips barely moving, "Save...save me...young hero...sob...please save...save me..."

A surge of anger rose in the boy's eyes, and his whole body felt hot. He had witnessed his close friends being slaughtered by his comrades, and he couldn't help but feel a surge of rage. In his anger, he unconsciously clenched his fists and stared at the fat-faced man with his back to him.

The woman's call of "young hero" stirred up a deep-seated fantasy in his heart. He had also fantasized about being a young hero. If he could save the woman in front of him... wouldn't such a beautiful woman belong to him?

The ugly, fat man in front of me had slaughtered his companions. If I killed him, it would be revenge for the deaths of Uncle Nine and Uncle Ma!

Thinking of this, he raised the knife, which he had used for the second time in his life, and aimed it at the man who was obsessed with flesh color.

The first time he wielded the knife was when he came of age. The village had specially found a fat sheep for him, and he was made to kill it himself. At that moment, as a boy, he experienced the thrill of wielding a butcher's knife for the first time. Seeing the despair, fear, and helpless pleas for mercy in the eyes of the fat sheep he trampled under his feet, he transformed from a child into a man in that instant!

"Shu~"

The blade, gleaming with a cold light, fell heavily, and the fat-faced man's head fell into the girl's arms in a manner that seemed familiar. The girl screamed and struggled to break free, then half-crawled and half-knelt at the boy's feet, sobbing softly as she clung to his legs, as if the man before her had become her only savior.

The young man put down his butcher's knife, half-squatted down, and pinched the woman's chin, making her look directly into his eyes. The pitiful girl's eyes only had him in them, as if she were her man.

The young man laughed triumphantly, embraced the delicate woman before him, and threw himself into her arms.

……

As the moonlight faded and the sky gradually brightened, a thick fog enveloped the forest, and four skeletons lay quietly at Bai Wuxiang's feet.

"Are they all dead?" the white-clad female ghost asked, her voice trembling.

"They, as human beings, are already dead. Now that they have turned into bones, I wonder if they can live?"

Bai Wuxiang stood with one hand behind his back, his eyes devoid of joy or sorrow. "Human nature is greedy, and all seven emotions and six desires are like corpses, taking away lives and devouring souls."

"I didn't kill them; you ended their lives yourself. You witnessed everything in the illusion; has your wish been fulfilled?"

The female ghost appeared in the mist, staring at the white bones of the fat-faced man, and murmured: "When I was sixteen, my whole family was kidnapped to this Wulong Village. Every day we were treated like cattle and sheep. I watched with my own eyes as my parents were killed one by one and became food on their table and in their bellies. Every day I cursed them in my heart, I cursed every bandit in Wulong Village, I wish I could become a vengeful ghost and skin them alive and eat their flesh."

Even if this beast that I keep here dies, I still want the entire Wulong Village to be wiped out!

Bai Wuxiang gently shook his head, "Your resentment is not enough for me to kill everyone in the entire village for you."

However, I will leave a trace of your resentment in my robes. Perhaps one day, one vengeful ghost after another will come looking for me, and I will go to Wulong Village to fulfill your wish.

"

"Okay, I believe you."

"What's your name?"

"Chu Hongmei".

"It's a beautiful name; it sounds like a lovely woman's name."

"beauty?
The white-faced hibiscus is a skeleton with flesh.

The peony in its crimson hue is my deadly weapon.

"Someone's coming, we should go."

In the vast mist of the forest, a figure gradually blurred and disappeared.

(End of this chapter)